Grace Downtown

Hospitality is an essential hallmark of the Christian faith—but the Bible lays out a vision for hospitality that welcomes in people beyond our comfort zone.

Sex, dating and romance take up a lot of mindshare for most people in our city, but one of the biggest changes the Christian faith asks us to make is a recontextualization of the role romance plays in our lives.

Grace Downtown welcomed in eight new Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses this weekend, and Rev. Glenn Hoburg's sermon offered a charge to both our new leaders and the rest of the congregation.

In a culture that rewards achievement, grace can be horrifying, disruptive--and wonderful.

Psalm 23 is one of the most famous psalms, if not one of the most famous passages from the Bible. The themes of shepherding and rest are prominent throughout the Old Testament--and they come together and reach their climax in Jesus.

For many people, reaching out for something transcendent when things are hard is easy. The harder challenge is recognizing your need for transcendence when things are going smoothly.

Contentment is a radical act in a city known for ambition and a society whose motto is "more is more." But it's also an enduring hallmark of the Christian faith. What is it? Where does it come from? What does it change?

Living "Life In The Spirit" means living our lives together with others--not just sharing our success and grieving our hurts, but also accepting challenges or corrections when other people recognize things we might miss about ourselves.

The highest command of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is found in the call to love one’s enemy. It is perhaps the defining mark of a follower of Jesus. We may be able to pull off being religious, moral, self-disciplined, and even kind to those like us. But the will and ability to love your enemy is evidence of something special – something which God’s enemy-love alone can produce.

Mr. Matt Miller kicks off our new series on Life in the Spirit.

One of the character types which Shakespeare developed is the “wise fool”—the person thought least likely to discover the truth, but does so in the end. In some sense, Paul sees himself and all followers of Jesus this way. The message of Christianity—Jesus and the cross—appears foolish to the culture; however, in the end, those who understand it will be seen as wise. It’s very tempting to abandon this identity as a wise fool for things like self-sufficiency and self-satisfaction. This is the temptation for the Corinthians and for us as well.

We close out our sermon series on the book of Romans with a look at Paul's lengthy list of greetings at the end of the letter. Who was he sending his salutations to? And what do these greetings teach us about the nature of Christian community?

As we reach the end of our study of the book of Romans, Paul turns our attention to what the faith that he has outlined means not for us, but for those around us.

Easter is more than just a flexing of God's muscles or the guarantee of a promise that would have been too lofty to believe—it is also a daily commission.

Grace Downtown pastoral fellow Andrew Russel kicks off our celebration of Holy Week with a sermon on the biblical account of Palm Sunday.

We continue our investigation of what it means to be weak and strong according to the book of Romans, leading us to a deeper understanding of Christian unity and the power of respect.

What does it mean to be strong or weak in the gospel? And what does Paul mean when he says that what you eat is a reflection of your strength?

For contemporary Americans, chapter 13 is one of the hardest passages of the book of Romans to grasp—at a time when our country's ideas about justice are so polarized, how can we understand this passage about the role of the state? But our dilemma isn't new: This passage was just as difficult and confusing for people living under Rome. And it is as vital for us as it was for the original audience.

Christian love is not natural--it is supernatural. The book of Romans outlines just how unique it is.

Guest preacher Pastor Remargo Yancie kicked off our Advent Season series "The Word Made Flesh" with a sermon on "The Gift of the Lord's Glorious Grace."